


How Does Your Marriage Work?

by orphan_account



Category: Come From Away - Sankoff & Hein
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Kind locals, Marriage, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:53:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21975397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Neither Diane or Nick feel the need for a grand lavish wedding, so their wedding in Dallas is a small, quiet affair. However, when they return to Gander for their honeymoon, the locals are adamant about throwing them a real wedding party.
Relationships: Diane Gray/Nick Marson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	How Does Your Marriage Work?

**Author's Note:**

> Me still having an abundance of feelings about this relationship? It's more likely than you think. This was initially supposed to be pretty short, but then I kept thinking of additional things I wanted to add and it kept getting longer -- I definitely got a bit carried away. Leave a comment if you like this work, I'd really appreciate it!

Their wedding in Dallas was a small affair. Diane, already having been married once, had no need for a lavish party. She recognized that Nick, too, had no interest in a spectacle, his shy awkward demeanour meaning he felt uncomfortable in boisterous social situations. It was easy to agree that neither wanted to make a big deal of their wedding, Nick moving across the Atlantic to be with Diane, was the larger deal. He’d spent months working out the transfer from his placement in London to his company’s head office in Dallas. Nick and Diane mutually decided that a wedding was simply a formality that made emigration and cohabitation easier.

There hadn’t been much of a proposal either. Nick had matter-of-factly told her over the phone that they needed to get married as quickly as possible to push forward his move and job transfer. Diane had been initially disappointed by the lack of romanticness of reality, but she loved Nick, and she wanted to marry him, so she didn’t let it bother her. What did a proposal matter, in the grand scheme of things, when she would get to spend the rest of her life with the man she loved? Nick’s company had even been generous enough to offer him an entire two weeks off after his wedding so he and Diane could at least have a proper honeymoon. The initial plan was to file for a marriage license as soon as Nick arrived at her house. But when Nick arrived with the last of his suitcases, finalizing his move from London to Dallas, he swept Diane into his arms, and well… they didn’t get around to filing for the license until the next day, to say the least.

The official ceremony took place in a gorgeous park, but neither cared for the scenery. Their only focus was each other: their eyes adoring one another, the feel of each other’s hands. They exchanged vows and Diane found it impossible to hold back tears when she heard Nick’s vows towards her, but she was relieved when she saw him crying too, as he spoke softly, declaring his love for her. Diane found the tears had only multiplied when she delivered her vows towards Nick, not from her own words, but the shining affection in his eyes as she spoke.

They exchanged rings and Nick raised Diane’s hand to press a featherlight kiss to it as he slid the cold wedding band onto her finger. Diane felt a shiver course through her at the touch of his lips. She repeated his action as she slipped his ring onto his finger, wanting to see if she had the same effect on Nick. She felt him tremble when her lips touched his hand and looked up to meet his wide loving eyes. _Yup, looks like it_ , she thought to herself. 

After the officiant pronounced them husband and wife, Diane met Nick in the middle for a passionate kiss before the officiant even told them to do so. Her arms curled around his neck and she felt his wrap around her waist. Diane felt secure, protected, treasured, and loved as Nick held her in his arms and they swayed together. It astounded her that every time she kissed him, there were fireworks and that heady shot of adrenaline that accompanied a new beginning, even with the feeling of his mouth moving on hers deeply familiar. There was no way to describe the first kiss they shared as husband and wife as anything other than perfect and Diane was delighted to begin the rest of her life just like this.

* * *

Nick and Diane didn’t even discuss other honeymoon destinations, the obvious choice was Gander, Newfoundland. It was the only choice, really. “It will be nice to go back, to experience it without everything else,” Diane said as she and Nick took their seats on the first of two flights they had to catch to reach their destination.

“It will also be nice to stay in a real accommodation rather than at the school,” Nick replied and Diane couldn’t help but laugh. She gave a contented sigh and leaned into him when Nick moved to wrap his arm around her shoulder. She felt him drop a soft kiss into her hair and snuggled closer to him, the feel of his heartbeat steady beneath her ear.

Diane moved to rest her head on Nick’s shoulder. “This is where it all began,” she murmured. She glanced up and noticed that the look in Nick’s eyes was one of confusion so she supplied, “on our flight back to Dallas, when you placed your arm around my shoulder just like this and tried to kiss my forehead, but the turbulence made me think you’d missed, which finally gave me the confidence to kiss you properly.”

“Well, I definitely had some rather intense feelings for you before then myself, but thank god you kissed me then,” Nick said, reaching to take Diane’s hand with his free hand and upon feeling the cool metal of the wedding band that bound them and giving it a light squeeze. “I never would have been game enough to kiss you properly, despite how many times I wanted to while we were in Gander.”

Diane laughed, she always seemed to laugh, more openly, more freely, more often, when she was with Nick, _with her husband,_ her brain reminded her, causing her to grin. Just his presence made her happier than she could imagine. “I can’t believe I beat you to it twice,” Diane replied, eyes twinkling. “There was a moment atop Dover Fault where I was certain you were going to kiss me and it was pretty hard to quash the disappointment when you didn’t.”

“Well, if we make time to go back, I’ll do it right this time,” Nick promised. Diane’s heart fluttered as she raised her head from his shoulder and turned to meet his eyes which were radiating affection. She couldn’t help herself from turning more directly to face him, cupping his jaw with her free hand, and leaning in to kiss him. Nick surged forward to meet her, kissing her back eagerly, untangling their fingers so he could cup her cheeks. And so they spent another plane ride canoodling, absolutely wrapped up in one another. There seemed to be nothing in the world but the gentle press of Nick’s lips against hers, their quiet sighs, and their bodies pressed as close together as their airplane seating arrangement would allow.

* * *

Gander was almost exactly as Diane remembered it, chillier than Dallas, but with surprisingly nice weather all the same. She and Nick walked down the streets of the town hand in hand, taking in everything, trading memories of the time they’d spent here one year ago. When they spotted a local who recognized them, Diane and Nick both offered a polite wave and smile, occasionally stopping to make some small talk. The town was calmer and quieter without the chaos of what felt like the world crumbling around them, but nearly everything else felt the same. The locals were just as generous too, refusing to let them pay for dinner the first night the minute they recognized them as some of the “plane people” who had been there a year ago. It was on their second day in Gander that Nick and Diane ran into a man they recognized from the previous year. “Well, would you look at that,” the man said, before looking down at their connected hands and grinning, “It’s Texas and her Englishman.”

Diane smiled politely to him as she recalled where she recognized him from, this was the man who’d run the Screech-In. _The man who offered her the chance to kiss Nick rather than the fish_ , she thought, unable to keep blush from colouring her cheeks. “I remember you,” Diane said, she searched her brain trying to recall a name and found herself flushing further with embarrassment, “I just can’t quite remember your name,” she admitted. Diane turned to Nick and his cheeks were flushed too, she assumed he couldn’t quite remember the man’s name either. She squeezed his hand and he was quick to reciprocate.

“Claude Elliot,” the man said, “I’m the mayor of Gander and to be frank, I’m not quite sure I know either of your names either.” 

“Well, I’m Diane,” Diane said introducing herself and reaching out to shake the mayor’s hand. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Mr. Mayor.” Nick did the same, politely introducing himself to Claude and shaking the mayor’s hand firmly.

“Oh please, call me Claude.”

“I’m surprised you remember us, Gander took in so many people over those five days,” Diane blurted as the thought popped into her head. 

Claude laughed. “How could I not? How often do you think it is someone kisses a person instead of the fish?” He winked at them and leaned in conspiratorially, “though, between you and me, I don’t extend an offer like that very often.”

Diane felt herself blushing again, but was happy to notice that flush was creeping up Nick’s neck too.

“Oh, speaking of, are you two finally married? If not, I’d be happy to officiate a wedding for you two, I am a notary public, after all.” Claude winked, obviously intending for it to be a joke, a teasing reference to when he assumed they were married last year.

Diane wasn’t quite sure how to respond, so she was pleased when Nick did instead. “We are, actually.”

Claude raised an eyebrow. “You are… what?” The confusion in his voice evident as he studied them both intently.

“Married. We are married. We came back to Gander for our honeymoon,” Nick answered, his voice confident.

Diane watched Claude’s eyes go wide, while he registered the turn their conversation had taken. “You’re joking,” he said immediately.

This time, Diane was happy to respond, she lifted her and Nick’s conjoined hands to show off their wedding bands. “Nope,” she replied, grinning widely and knowing her smiled was matched on Nick’s face.

“Is that right now?” Claude asked. He shook his head as if trying to dispel his confusion. “Jaysus,” he cursed under his breath. There was a brief minute where Claude seemed lost in thought, but he soon looked back at Diane and Nick, the confusion on his face replaced with a mischievous smile. “Actually, come with me,” he said and before either could protest, he gave them a gentle shove before falling into step in front of them leaving both Nick and Diane feeling inclined to follow.

A short walk later, Claude was ushering them into a Tim Hortons, and leading them to a table of Gander locals. Diane swore she recognized a few of them and clearly they recognized she and Nick based on the way their eyes widened. Claude greeted the people sitting at the table and Diane felt her head spin as they all repeated each other’s names. Claude waved over the woman working at the counter, Crystal he said her name was and requested a Pepsi, which she happily went to fetch. “You all remember Texas and her Englishman,” Claude said to the table of locals. Claude gestured towards two empty seats at the table and Nick and Diane took them, Nick pulling out Diane’s chair, his hand placed on the small of her back, and tucking it in once she was seated. She felt her heart flutter at his kind consideration.

“How could we possibly forget? Screech-Ins are typically exciting, but not often does someone kiss a person rather than a fish,” replied one of the locals. Diane recognized this one as Garth, the school bus driver who’d driven them and many other passengers to and from the airport.

“Claude’s a bit of a trickster, so he extends the offer sometimes, but usually that’s enough to convince Screechees to kiss the fish, you two were an interesting exception to the rule,” said another local. Diane recognized this one as Dwight.

“I thought they were married,” said another one of the locals, Diane knew she remembered him too, and her brain tossed around the name Doug. 

“We all thought they were married,” Claude clarified. “Well, I just ran into them and I offered to marry them again, considering Diane over here was rather enthusiastic the last time. But well...” He turned to Diane and Nick expectantly. “This is your news.” 

Diane wasn’t quite sure what compelled her, but it was something about Gander, about the easy friendliness each local at this table exuded, without even really knowing either of them. But before she could give it a second thought, she was sharing her and Nick’s big news. “Nick and I…” she started before reaching for Nick’s hand. “My husband and I,” she corrected still feeling a bit giddy at the word, “got married recently, we’re back in Gander for our honeymoon.” She lifted their conjoined hands, eagerly showing off their matching wedding rings.

Diane was delighted to see each local’s eyes widen, just as Claude’s had before when they’d told him the news.

Crystal, who had returned with Claude’s Pepsi, overheard the announcement, and upon handing it over to him clapped both Nick and Diane on the shoulder. “Congratulations to you two.” She smiled brightly at them both before walking off to take orders from other customers.

“Now, I was almost offended that they didn’t wait and come back here to get married, or invite any of us to the ceremony, given I got Diane to kiss Nick in the first place, but then I figured that since they’re visiting Gander for their honeymoon, we could just throw them a wedding party at The Legion,” Claude said.

Nick began to stutter, his face a deep pink. “T-that’s not necessary… We’re…” he fumbled with the words, and Diane recognized he was trying to express his appreciation for the locals’ hospitality, but turn down their offer of what sounded like some big uncomfortable get-together in the most polite way possible.

“Nonsense,” another local said, Diane recognized this one as Oz, the police constable. “We won’t take up all your time, we don’t want to disturb your honeymoon.” He winked and Diane felt her cheeks heat up at what he was insinuating. “But a small social gathering is the least we can do to celebrate your happiness, eh?”

Diane nudged Nick’s shoulder gently and offered him a soft smile. “A small social gathering couldn’t hurt…” She was reminded of when a year ago Nick had declared that he’d be attending the party at the bar if she would be. Despite them not knowing each other well at the time, it was thrilling to know that just her being near alleviated some of his social anxiety. She hoped the same would be true now. 

“Alright,” Nick said. “I’m going if my wife is going.” Diane could tell he was thinking of the same memory from the year before that she was and her smile widened.

“I’ll go,” Diane said, “It’ll be a nice way to kick things off.” She moved to rest she and Nick’s joined hands on his knee.

“Well, there wouldn’t be any party if you two weren’t going,” Oz said.

“Great,” Claude said, grinning roguishly at both Nick and Diane. “Be at the Legion at 9 pm.” He winked at them, “and you’ll have to change the way you’re dressed. I’m sure anyone in town would be happy to lend you some fancier clothes.”

* * *

 _Fancier clothes was quite the understatement_ , Diane thought. The grapevine in Gander worked exceptionally fast and soon every person Nick and Diane encountered, it seemed every person in town, knew that the party being thrown at the Legion that night was for them. A few hours later, Diane found herself wearing a fancy white dress, that belonged to Beulah, a teacher at Gander Academy, who’d worked tirelessly when over 700 come from aways dropped on her doorstep. “This really isn’t necessary,” Diane said. “This dress seems much to fancy to lend out to someone on a whim.”

“I’m sure you’d do the same,” Beulah insisted, crossing her arms firmly over her chest when even a single word of protest left Diane’s mouth. So it was settled then, she’d be wearing the dress. Not that she was unhappy or uncomfortable wearing it by any measure, the dress was beautiful and fit her well. Embroidered white flowers covered the bodice and skirt while the sleeves were long and thick, enough to protect her against the chill of Newfoundland air. 

“You look absolutely beautiful,” Beulah told her and Diane felt tears in her eyes. She moved to hug the school teacher and was delighted when Beulah hugged her back just as tightly. 

“Thank you,” Diane whispered, 

By then, she noticed that Beulah was crying too. “It’s just so wonderful that something so lovely came out of that awful thing that happened.”

“It was all thanks to you and your town’s hospitality,” Diane said, voice wavering as she gave a watery smile, she didn’t know if she’d ever been happier.

When she stepped outside of Beulah’s home, the chill of the fall weather hitting her instantly, she spotted Nick standing on the sidewalk. He too was dressed formally, wearing a dark blue suit, that complemented his steel-blue eyes. His mouth dropped open when he saw her and Diane couldn’t stop her heart from racing as she took in his astounded expression. He stepped towards her. “You look beautiful,” he said, cupping her cheeks in his hands. The look in his eyes indicated to Diane that he was about to kiss her, and she wanted him too, desire singing in her veins. It was astounding that after sharing so many kisses and so much affection, Diane still was rendered breathless when he looked at her like that, pure want pouring from his eyes.

“You look quite handsome yourself,” Diane replied, wrapping her arms around him, delicately stroking the hair at the nape of his neck. Nick leaned in kissing her so softly and gently it made her breath catch, her hand coming to curl into the collar of his shirt. The chill she felt from the weather dissipated, replaced only by warmth and contentment

When he drew back, Diane found she was still playing with the collar of his shirt. “Doug leant it to me,” he clarified. “The suit, that is. He wore it when he and Bonnie got married.”

“They haven’t changed a single bit, they’re just as generous and kind as I remembered,” Diane said, feeling herself on the verge of tears. Nick’s hands, which were still cupping her cheeks, moved to brush the tears from her eyes. 

“They’re wonderful,” Nick agreed. “Now, I believe we have a party to attend.” He then reached for her hand and she immediately reciprocated, tangling their fingers together. 

The walk to the Legion was short, and though it was before nine, they arrived to find the pub already full of locals. Through the crowd of people, some already drunk, Diane and Nick spotted Claude and whose eyes lit up when he noticed them. “The guests of honour have arrived,” he said as he approached them. “You both clean up nice.”

Diane noticed that she and Nick were the most formally dressed of anyone at the bar and couldn’t help but blush. She and Nick found seats in an empty booth, squeezing into it, despite the stiffness of their formal attire. They both agreed to only drink a single beer each to ensure they both remembered this night. While the Screech-In was a memory both looked back on laughingly now, the morning following it had been filled with a stifling awkwardness that Diane would not be eager to repeat, especially with she and Nick in such a wonderful place. While they nursed their beers, Diane and Nick watched the locals dance, play instruments, and sing around them. 

When the song changed, Diane stood up and took Nick’s hand, pulling him to his feet and onto the dance floor. He was hesitant at first, Diane could see the apprehension in his eyes, but when she offered him a light smile, it melted away. He spun and twirled her across the dance floor and the locals cleared, leaving room for just them. The song changed again, to something slower, more gentle and Diane and Nick found they were no longer dancing at all, they were swaying. Despite being the center of attention in the crowded bar, it felt like they were the only two people there. As Nick’s hands anchored to her waist, Diane rested her hands on the back of his neck and leaned her head on his shoulder. It was blissful. 

Another change in song, this one up-tempo and fast-paced and Claude’s voice, over what Diane believed was a microphone, snapped she and Nick from their reverie. “Who’s ready for a bit of ceremony?” Claude asked and the crowd gave a loud cheer. “Let’s make the happy couple honorary Newfoundlanders!” 

Confusion was the dominant emotion in Diane’s brain and she quickly grabbed Nick’s hand and walked them over to Claude. “What do you mean “make us honorary Newfoundlanders”? We participated last year, shouldn’t that mean we’re already honorary Newfoundlanders?” Diane asked her eyes wide as her brain tried to piece together what exactly was happening.

Claude shook his head. “Nope, still you’re both mainlanders,” he gave a roguish grin.

“But we’ve already been Screeched-In,” Nick protested.

Claude reached up to scratch the back of his neck. “Look, between you and me, it’s the town’s tradition to Screech-In any mainlander who visits, every time they visit. Besides, the Screech-In didn’t go so badly for either of you last time,” he then looked directly at Diane. “I can’t say I’ll be offering to let you kiss your Englishman this time, but I’m sure you’ve done and can do that plenty after the ceremony.” 

There was no more arguing when a pair of locals placed Sou’Wester hats upon both Nick and Diane’s heads and lead them towards two chairs sitting in the middle of the bar. Another local, Annette handed them shot glasses and the town’s reporter, Janice, filled their glasses, with a familiar smelling liquid, Screech. 

As the locals counted down, Diane took a deep breath, she couldn’t believe was doing this again. “Down the hatch!” Claude’s now familiar voice yelled, and Diane tipped the alcohol down her throat as quickly as she could. It burned and tasted like bad rum, the familiar taste making her shudder, but it wasn’t the worst thing she’d drank.

She turned to Nick and he was smirking at her also holding a now empty shot glass. A memory suddenly came back to her “Did I really call that delicious last year?” she asked.

“If I remember correctly, you called it ‘delisush,’ definitely with a bit of a slur at the end,” he said teasingly. His blue eyes were twinkling, shining with affection and while Claude went on talking about other aspects of the ceremony, Diane found herself lost in Nick’s eyes. He seemed equally lost in her eyes and Diane didn’t catch a single word Claude said as she and Nick adored only one another.

It was only when a wet dripping fish pierced her vision that Diane snapped back into focus. Claude repeated some familiar bit about kissing the cod then held it in front of Nick first. Diane watched Nick peck the fish and shudder, she wondered if it was any less awful than when he’d done it last year. It was seconds later that Claude was waggling the same fish in front of her. “Vital part of the ceremony, Texas,” he said. “I already warned you that I wouldn’t be offering to let you kiss your Englishman this time around.”

Diane knew protesting was futile, so she wrinkled her nose and pressed her lips to the slimy cod, drawing away as quickly as possible. She wanted desperately to wipe the disgusting feeling from her mouth, but didn’t want to ruin the lovely dress Beulah had leant her. 

The crowd cheered and Claude raised his glass of beer. “Another round for Nick and Diane, the happy couple and our honorary Newfoundlanders!”

Diane looked over at Nick, he was grinning widely at her and without thinking for a second more, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and pulled him into a passionate kiss, right there for everyone to see in the middle of the Legion.

Diane was certain she could hear the applause and whistle of the crowd in the background, but it didn’t trouble her. Whenever she kissed Nick, the world around her seemed to fall away, being unimportant and insignificant in comparison to the feeling of his mouth moving against hers, his breath skittering against her cheek, and the heady shot of adrenaline that filled her. When she finally pulled away, she took in the adoration in Nick’s eyes, mingled with a bit of a shock, she’d caught him a bit off guard.

“What was that for?” Nick asked, breathlessly, his voice low and husky and Diane was unable to suppress a grin, she was still astounded by the effect she had on him.

“I just wanted to get the taste of the fish off my lips,” Diane joked, the collar of his shirt still bunched up in her hand. She noticed he was clutching a fistful of her dress just as tightly.

A hint of disappointment filled Nick’s eyes and Diane quickly registered that he hadn’t understood her joke. “I’m kidding,” she said, laughing. She released the fabric of his shirt and cupped his cheek in her hand, tracing her thumb along his jawline. “I just really wanted to kiss my husband.”

At that, Nick’s eyes lit up. “Well in that case…” He drew her in, kissing her gently and once again, they melted into each other, locked in their own little world. When he pulled away, Diane’s eyes fluttered open, her lips still parted. “I just really wanted to kiss my wife,” he clarified, moving to rest his forehead against hers and Diane felt her heart race at his words.

After she caught her breath and calmed the fluttering of her heart, Diane stood up, taking Nick’s hand and pulling him along with her. They walked over towards Claude, who was mingling with Garth and Oz. He turned upon seeing them, smiling widely. “How’s the happy couple?” he asked. 

“We’re just thinking of heading out,” Diane replied, there was a flash of disappointment in Claude’s eyes, but it was soon replaced with a smirk.

“Of to begin your honeymoon?” he asked, leaning in towards both Nick and Diane conspiratorially.

Diane didn’t let herself blush at his insinuation, instead, she felt bolder than she had all night, perhaps thanks to the alcohol. “Yes, actually, that is exactly our plan,” she said, squeezing Nick’s hand.

She watched Claude’s cheeks flame and had to keep herself from laughing. Diane let go of Nick’s hand and wrapped the mayor in a quick hug. “Thank you for everything, really, it means a lot to us.”

He reciprocated, hugging her back, still red in the face. “Anytime, Texas.”

Diane watched as Nick said thanks and gave his appreciation to the locals, then heard his voice, low in her ear. “Ready to go?” he whispered.

Diane hummed in approval, reaching once more for her husband’s hand. The contact was grounding, it helped sharpen the edges of the world blurred by the alcohol buzzing through her system. She turned to Nick, a sly smile on her face and was delighted to see her expression mirrored on his face. Her heartbeat accelerated as she met his eyes which were teeming with want and desire. She tugged at his hand and led him out of the bar, the cold night air nipping her skin. Diane didn’t feel the chill thought, she was comforted by the warmth between her and Nick, _and just through the touch of his hand,_ she thought _._ It was symbolic almost, stepping out of their wedding party at the Legion, onto the street, and into the rest of their lives together.

* * *

Later as they lay in bed, Nick tracing gentle circles on Diane’s back with his finger, Diane felt completely at peace. “Any idea how we’ll spend the rest of our time here?” she asked.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I was hoping some more time in bed,” Nick answered immediately.

Diane rolled over to face him, taking in the mischievous glimmer in his eyes. She laughed joyfully, “Nick Marson, you really are something else.”

“Is that idea not to your liking, Mrs. Marson?”

Diane giggled at his use of her new married name. “Oh no, it is to my very much liking,” she said, before leaning in to kiss him. “We have got an entire week though, so we should try and do something,” Diane said after she pulled away, hand still resting on his stubbly cheek. “And besides if we go out, we can always just undress when we get back.” 

“Hmmm,” Nick hummed, ducking his head to kiss her quickly. “I like your thinking.” Diane shivered as he brushed a strand of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. “Though, there is one place I’d like to return.”

* * *

The Dover Fault was just as beautiful as Diane remembered. She and Nick climbed what felt like a million stairs to get there, but it had been worth it. Diane gasped as she ran towards the railing, gripping it to steady herself as she took in the scenery. The view was breathtaking, green trees as far as the eye could see and beyond that, the crystal blue Atlantic ocean. “I should have known you would want to come back here,” Diane said. 

“Well, how could I not?” Nick asked. “It was here that I realized that my feelings for you went far beyond a simple crush. In fact, it was here that I realized I’d fallen in love with you. And well, initially, it was here I intended on asking you to marry me. Mentioning that now is a little silly given that we are married.”

Diane giggled, but then a realization hit her. “Wait, you were planning on coming back to Gander before this?” 

Nick flushed a deep pink. “I was, yes. The stuff with work ended up being less smooth than I imagined, marrying you quickly was about the only way to convince head office to permit my transfer. I was hoping I’d be able to bring you back here once we were settled and propose, properly. My company kind of threw a wrench in those plans though.”

Diane recalled that he hadn’t proposed to her at all. A silly thought suddenly popped into her head. “You could do it properly now,” she swallowed. “If you want, that is. It seems like a waste of planning to... not...” she winced at her awkwardness 

Nick grinned and Diane was glad to see he was on-board with her silly suggestion. “Is that what you want?” He asked, eyes shining with affection. 

Diane took a deep breath, trying to find the words, but couldn’t convince herself to do anything but nod. 

It was when Nick got down on one knee that Diane felt her breath hitch. He was really doing this then. It’s funny,” he began, “when we were here a year ago, you read out fact after fact on that plaque,” he pointed to the plaque on the railing, “about the continents colliding and then about how they separated from each other forever.” He reached out to take one of Diane’s hands. “Our love story sure is a lot like that, except…” Nick paused and Diane waited, wanting desperately to know what he had to say. “There’s one key difference.”

Diane’s eyes widened with anticipation, her heart thudding in her chest. She opened her mouth as if to say something then promptly closed it, she wanted to hear what Nick had to say without filling it with meaningless nervous chatter. It delighted and terrified her, somehow simultaneously, that her feelings for Nick were still so intense, that some grand romantic declaration from him was enough to render her breathless even after so many grand speeches, and love confessions, and effectively two weddings.

“We too were brought together right here,” Nick continued, he leaned down to press a light kiss to her hand. “Two people from different continents, from opposite ends of the world, who crashed into each other’s lives and altered them forever. Who thought, as we stood here on the edge of the world, on that final day, that we’d soon be parting, never see each other again. The difference between us and those continents is…” he swallowed and Diane could tell he was nervous. She smiled, encouraging him. “The difference, Diane, is that I never want to leave you, I want to be with you. Forever.” Diane gasped at his declaration, silly as it was, given that they were already married. “I am completely in love you and you make me happier than I could possibly imagine. I love your laugh, your smile, your kindness, your patience. I love your ability to see the best in everyone, to treat everyone with compassion despite your anxieties and insecurities. You were the victim of my awkward jokes countless times during our five days here, yet you still were polite, and forgiving, and patient. I fell in love with you right here and somehow, beyond my wildest dreams, you too let me into your heart.”

Diane was crying freely now, she found herself unable to stop countless tears from streaming down her cheeks. Nick looked at her with a small amount of alarm and she whispered, “No, no. They’re happy tears.” Diane took a deep breath. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy,” she confessed, her voice thick with emotion. “Please go on.” 

Nick smiled at her and blinked back tears and Diane could tell he was getting just as emotional as she was. “I guess what I’m saying is.” He took a deep breath to steady himself. “Diane Gray, will you do the honour of marrying me?”

“Yes!” Diane answered, the word falling from her mouth before she could stop it. She knew it was a little silly, accepting a marriage proposal from the man she was already married to, but Nick didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, he seemed elated as he shot up to his feet and kissed her. 

Diane laughed, tears still falling. “Oh my god, I can’t believe you were going to propose to me with a geological metaphor!”

Nick blushed, which Diane found adorable. “What? Did you not like it?” His eyes were filled with nervous apprehension.

“Like it? No, I didn’t like it,” she paused. “I absolutely loved it.” She kissed him gently, caressing his cheek with her palm, she added, “It was perfect and so are you.”

Nick’s eyes lit up with delight and within seconds he was kissing her again. As they kissed atop Dover Fault, Diane decided she was exactly where she was meant to be and that she had never been happier.


End file.
